Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-06-09
FROM STRAND TO STRAND!
GALASHIELS, Scotland, /
April l4th, 1887. /

Arriving at Gaiashiels, 3S miles soutl
of Edinburgh, note the queer meth
DDS in connection with the railwa,
regulations of this country. After pur
chasing ticket at Edinburgh, guart
kindly shows me my train, and afte
tits no further attention is paid me un
I'll after | leave the car at this place.
have left my sarchel in the cleft lug
gage" room, for which pay two pence
or cents, and am looking bout at tn,
strange surroundings. A fish woman
standing on the depot platform urges
me to buy some of her fish, "fresh her,
ring, sax for a penny" "and while she il
explaining to me what good sort they
are AID l am wondering at the i'm.
menseness of her skirts-they must be
at least two and half or three yards
in diameter-a fellow touches me on
the shoulder and says" ticket, please"
The train has pulled out full ten min
utes ago, and for moment I can't i'm
agine what ticket it is that he wants.
| L recollect that / have not given up my
railway ticket. and on producing that
everything seems satisfactory.
|. While on the subject of railways I
may as well mention a few points of
difference between the system here
and at home. Taken as whole there
lean plan excels the English by great
odds; but in some particulars theirs is
undoubtedly superior. Their rcad-beds
seem perfect, the tracks being very
smooth. The rails are not spiked di-
rectly to the ties as ours are, but are set
in iron chairs and fastened with wood
en- wedges, and the chairs spiked to
the ties. Cars are not coupled after our
hooks, and great screw between each
two cars is turned drawing them close
together, SO that when a train is made
up 1T is as one car. In starting and
stopping the train there is not that ter
rible suddenness about it which so often
takes us by surprise. The signal for
starting train is peculiar. A man
picks up a large bell from the platform
and rings it violently; the ratives of
the country all get aboard the train.
and the A mericans go into the refresh
ment room for drink or for dinner
and wait for the next train. The cars
are simply abominable and absurd in
the greatest degree. They are eighteen
or twenty feet in length, and look pre-
cjsely like an oversrown stage coach.
are divided into three or four compart-
ments which are entirely separated
from each other by partitions running
across the car, and from floor to roof;
two seats the full width of the car in
each compartment, with door on
either side; and one car may have 1st,
End and 81 class seats. My experience
is that one may ride where he pleases.
regardless of the kind of ticket. Nat
uraIly enough the ajority of people |
buy End or 81 class tickets. No pro-
vision is made for heating except that
one may on application obtain couple |
gallons of warm water in an iron con- |
trivance, which, to one used to the |
comforts of life is bat reminder OF
pleasures past; so that, for eight or nine |
months in the year if one wants to
travel comfortably in this climate he
must carry with him an outfit but little |
short of that required for Polar ex-
pediti;n. Accidents are much less fire.
quent here than with US; and the cross
ings are almost perfect.
1t is rare that wagon-road crosses
a railway on a level with the track.
Where this does occur. gates are on
either side, with a man in charge, who
does not limit anything to cross until
the way is clear. In almost all cases
the crossing is made with immense
store and brick arches that seem built
to stand almost forever. In no case
did see wooden one. The embank-
ments and cuts are not the unsightly
mud or bare earth so universal with US,
but are all built with uniform aud gen.
tie slope, and nicely covered with grass.
I forgot to say at the proper place
that the cars are lighted by lamps
hung through .hoies in the roof, and at
the end OF journey these lamps are
all taken out and ranged on the depot
platform to be cleaned and filled. The
wheels TO the cars are much larger
than ours, and, having spokes like
wagon wheel and also but four to a
car, completes the resemblance to the
stage coach. Freight
cars are mostly without roof, and
perishahle goods have an old tarpaulin
thrown over them. Stops at stations
are usually longer than ours-as rule
being from one TO five minutes.
The day is cold but clear, and l con-
clude a walk will be most comfortable. |
A Abbottsford is my Mecca for the day,
and for companion l pick up an old |
Srotchman, who proves to be quite a |
Tt Is with great difficulty !
and .uany repetitions that we are able
to comprehend each other at all, but /
this fact makes the situation all the |
more enjoyable. Going through the
town he points out the buildings of !
interest, among others the jail, and in
reply TO a question admits that he .
stop ped there twehty-four hoars on I
ore occasion. but has never been there /
since and will not be again.